


I keep on running into you

by thecurlymop



Category: Nothing Much to Do
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-19
Updated: 2015-04-07
Packaged: 2018-03-18 15:25:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3574581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecurlymop/pseuds/thecurlymop
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pedro and Balthazar have never met until they both end up at the same university and Pedro keeps bumping into Balthazar, accidentally and then not quite accidentally</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was a bad idea to go to this party. Not only did he have a 9am the next morning, he also had to be vaguely awake for it. He couldn’t shake the memory of that first terrible 9am when he’d had to run out halfway through to throw up. His mates had seen it as a badge of honour but all he could remember was the dawning comprehension and consequently horrified expression of a girl who had been in the class as she heard him recounting the story to the many appreciative sniggers of his mates.

Still he was at the party now. As usual he’d lost everyone he’d come with but he might as well have a drink. The house was huge and he followed the tide of movement towards the kitchen. There were a few stacks of beer cans on the counter and he grabbed two. If anyone asked, the second was for a friend but he slipped it discreetly into the pocket of his jacket.

Wandering into another room, he said hi to a few people he knew and then settled against a wall to drink his beer and survey the crowd. It was at times like these that he really missed Ben. Perhaps he shouldn’t have assumed that would go to uni together but it still hurt that Ben had chosen Bea over him and was now waltzing round the planet, deliriously in love and having so much fun, as every postcard reminded him. But Ben was great in situations like these, he could talk to anyone about anything and he was impervious to rejection. Pedro missed having him around.

He’d drained his first beer while thinking and it was while he was wondering where to dump the crumpled can that he saw him.

He was smaller than Pedro and the impression of delicacy was heightened by the huge jumper he was wearing. Somehow, he made it seem cute rather than hideous. One arm waved expressively, an overlong sleeve flapping over his hand as he emphasized a point to his friend. Pedro didn’t think he’d ever seen someone so interesting.

The boy and his friend began to move towards the door and without thinking, Pedro moved to follow. Loud protests erupted at his sudden movement across the crowded room, and he shut up the loudest protestor by shoving the other beer at him, but by the time he’d got to the door, he couldn’t see the boy or his friend.

He’d lost his beer and the boy who’d caught his attention so spectacularly so he decided to give up and go home.

As he left the house, through the chatter of the gathered smokers, he heard a guitar and a male voice start singing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a) that throwing up in a 9am story - I was the repulsed girl listening in...  
> b) I always see Pedro as that 'all round great guy' who, without the back up of his mates, suddenly deflates, hence him missing Ben  
> c) Pedro is very definitely out and bisexual in this fic. Let's pretend that without Balthy he went on a few dates with surf life-saving Tony :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's open mic night and guess who turns up-

Em had come bounding into his room the night before demanding that he came to the open mic covers night. Apparently her friend Megan was going to be the ‘next big thing’ and she couldn’t miss a performance. So now Pedro was stuck in a bar with a small raised stage wondering how long they would have to stay. It wasn’t that the performers were bad, some of them were pretty good and they were all enthusiastic but for every good one, there was a not quite in tune one or one who hadn’t quite worked out how their guitar worked yet and Pedro just wished he didn’t have to be there to witness it.

Megan was somewhere in the first ten performers and she was good and Em’s excitement was infectious. By the end of her song, Pedro was smiling and clapping gently but he still breathed a sigh of relief when she left the stage.

Em tugged his arm to mutter in his ear, ‘I’m going to buy her a drink, you coming?’

He half turned and then something, or rather someone, caught his eye. ‘Yeah… I’ll be there in a moment.’

Climbing onto the stage was a familiar slim figure. He was wearing a different oversized jumper and a small smile graced his elfin face. By the whoops and cheers that greeted him, Pedro deduced he must be a popular performer. He strummed his guitar and even before he’d opened his mouth, Pedro had fallen deeper under the spell of this beautiful boy.

Halfway through the song, Em tugged on his arm and handed him a beer. She and Megan had made their way back to him from the bar.

‘Found something to your taste?’ she murmured in his ear.

He could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks.

‘He’s cute!’ she continued, ‘good too, and popular, though I think you’re more his type than they are.’ She pointed out the excited girls at the front who had moved forward during the song and were now practically swooning at the boy’s feet. Pedro rolled his eyes but he understood why they were acting like that.

The song finished and the boy attempted to leave the stage but was called back by numerous shouts. He returned to the microphone and grinned out at them and Pedro could have sworn that his eyes caught and held his for a second.

‘Okay guys, it’s breaking the rules but here’s another one I guess. You might recognise the words.’

The second song was similar in style but the guitar playing was a little more complex from what Pedro could tell and he didn’t recognise it at all. Perhaps the guy, on top of being ridiculously musically talented, composed his own music. Megan whispered in Em’s ear and Em tugged on his arm again to talk to him.

‘His name’s Balthazar. And she’s pretty sure he’s single by the way.’

‘A guy like that wouldn’t go for a guy like me,’ he shrugs.

She rolls her eyes. ‘That’s silly. How will you know if you don’t go and find out? That’s why you’re going to go and talk to him and find out if he’s interested. You can just go and compliment him, tell him you enjoyed his songs, be friendly.’

‘How will I know if he’s interested?’

‘If you really can’t work it out yourself, we’ll be over here watching…’

So he did it. After Balthazar’s unexpected second song, there was a break and Pedro wandered over to the bar. Without too much manoeuvring, he found himself next to Balthazar and, leaning forward to try to get the bartender’s attention he very gently nudged Balthazar.

‘Oh, sorry man!’ he exclaimed, withdrawing his arm.

‘Nah, don’t worry,’ Balthazar replied, smiling up at him.

‘Hey, you were just playing weren’t you? You’re really good-‘

‘Ah, thanks!’

‘I liked that second song. I was wondering if you wrote it, I’ve never heard it before?’

‘Um yeah, I mean I know it’s meant to be covers night but I was only supposed to do one song as well so I thought I might as well break all the rules.’

Pedro laughed. ‘Well, I really liked it, I’m glad I got the chance to hear it.’

He grabbed the beers that were waiting for him on the bar and prepared to head back to the girls for the next performer.

Behind him came a voice, ‘It was nice talking to you…’

He turned, ‘Pedro. And it was nice talking to you too…’

‘Balthazar.’

‘Cool name,’ he commented, deciding not to disclose that he had already known it.

‘It’s a nickname really.’

‘So’s mine, but yours is better. See you around Balthazar.’

‘See you.’

When he rejoined the girls they were grinning too hard for it just to be thanks for the drinks he was presenting them with.

‘He likes you,’ they said together.

‘He keeps looking at you,’ Em added, ‘don’t look, silly, wait a moment.’

Pedro caught Balthazar’s head turning away from him as he looked round and he grinned.

‘What did you talk about?’ Megan asked.

‘I said I liked his music, the second song was his by the way. Oh and he smoothly asked about my name. So I guess we’re acquaintances now?’

‘Nice work!’

Pedro spent the rest of the night trying furiously not to look at Balthazar and occasionally catching his eye as their glances intercepted. According to Em, neither of them was being subtle and she had considered marching up and giving Balthazar his number herself. Part of him regretted that she hadn’t, actually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had fun writing this one. Balthazar sings his cover or Sigh No More and then his own Sigh Not So if you were wondering.


	3. Chapter 3

Pedro cantered into the coffee shop about five minutes before his lecture started. He stood impatiently in the queue, focussed only on getting his drink and getting out of there. The barista recognised him, it had to be said he came in quite a lot, and started making his coffee before he’d even said anything. It was only as he got to the cash register that things went a little wrong.

‘Hang on a mo, I’m sure there’s another coin in here,’ he said, groping desperately for the 20 cents he knew had been in his pocket before he’d left the flat.

‘Hurry up, I’m late for class,’ someone muttered behind him.

‘Argh, I don’t have that last 20 cents, is there any way you can…’ he looked pleadingly at the cashier.

‘Sorry dude,’ the guy said, not looking particularly sorry.

‘But I come in here all the time, please, I really need that coffee.’

‘If you don’t have the money I can’t give you the coffee,’ he replied unemotionally, ‘I’m going to need you to move along, you’re holding up the line.’

‘Woah dude,’ came another voice from behind Pedro, ‘here you go.’

A small hand sneaked round him and placed a coin on the counter. Pedro turned, surprised, and then felt an involuntary grin break across his face. Balthazar had saved him and saved his coffee too.

‘Thanks!’

‘No problem, hey, err, do you want to come and sit with me?’

Pedro checked his watch, his lecture was about to start. ‘Uh, I can’t, I have to get to a lecture and she doesn’t let anyone who’s more than five minutes late.’

He thought he saw Balthazar’s face fall a little and reached out to grab his sleeve. ‘But, um, can I get your number and maybe we can have coffee another time?’ he asked, hoping he hadn’t read this wrong.

‘Sure!’

Balthazar reeled off the digits quickly and Pedro saved them before thanking him again for saving his coffee and whirling out of the door. He made it to his lecture with 30 seconds to go and once he’d settled in his seat he grabbed his phone and, ignoring the dirty looks from the students around him, texted Balthazar.

_Hey, this is Pedro, I made it to my lecture but I think coffee with you would have been more fun :)_

* * *

Balthazar had been quietly drinking his hot chocolate and deconstructing a Danish pastry when the pre-lecture rush began. He tried to ignore the increase in noise until he recognised a voice.

‘Hang on a mo, I’m sure there’s another coin in here.’

He looked up and there was Pedro, the cute boy from the open mic night. As Balthazar watched, it became clear that Pedro wasn’t getting his coffee unless someone stepped in. And he guessed that someone could be him. After a moment’s consideration, he was up on his feet and behind Pedro. Had he always been that tall?

‘Woah dude,’ he said, watching the cashier reaching towards the coffee to take it away, ‘here you go.’

He stepped back as Pedro turned around and tried not to shuffle uncomfortably at the happy grin on his face.

‘Thanks!’

Pedro was still beaming and Balthazar wasn’t sure if he could cope. Still, he tried to play it cool.

‘No problem, hey, err, do you want to come and sit with me?’

Wait, had he just invited Pedro to have coffee with him? Coffee he had partially paid for? By the time he’d tuned back into what Pedro was saying, it was obvious that he was turning him down but-

‘-can I get your number and maybe we can have coffee another time?’ Pedro asked, holding his sleeve with a hand that radiated warmth.

‘Uh, sure!’

He hated giving people his number out loud and prayed he’d got it right. If he hadn’t, he supposed at least he knew where Pedro came to get coffee now so it wouldn’t be so difficult to track him down.

With another shouted thanks Pedro disappeared out of the door and Balthazar saw him run across the road seconds later in spite of the angry horns of the passing cars.

He was tidying up his stuff and making sure he’d got all of the random bits of paper with song lyrics on them tucked into his notebook when a text came through.

_Hey, this is Pedro, I made it to my lecture but I think coffee with you would have been more fun :)_

He left the coffee shop with a huge grin on his face and music buzzing round his brain. Was it weird to compose songs for boys you’d only met twice?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to write Balthy's point of view as well as Pedro's so I hope that worked okay? I'm home from uni now so hopefully I'll get the last chapter written soon, this one needed a lot of editing because I wrote it while writing my final essay of the term!


	4. Chapter 4

Pedro and Balthazar had been texting sporadically ever since Pedro’s first text but he really wanted more than just texting out of this exchange of numbers. Em had found him in the kitchen gazing at his phone and told him to get on with it and stop mooning about. It was good advice and under her steely gaze, Pedro gritted his teeth and got on with it.

_So, would you like to meet up some time?_

**_Like on a date?_ **

_Yeah, on a date._

**_Sure, I’m free most evenings this week… Wednesday good?_ **

_I can come and pick you up at 7?_

_**See you then** _

_It’s a date ;)_

‘See, that wasn’t so bad,’ Em observed from her perch on the kitchen counter.

‘Yeah, but now I have to work out what to do with him.’

‘Well, what does he like?’

‘That’s half the problem honestly, I mean I know he likes music and he drinks coffee and he wears huge jumpers and he’s adorable but that’s it.’

‘So, you need to find something to do that will allow you to get to know him better, and for him to get to know you as well.’

‘I guess.’

* * *

Balthazar changed his shirt for the second time and then put the first one back on again. He was more nervous than was probably necessary but still, he wanted to look like he’d made an effort. He checked his watch and then his reflection before going downstairs. Pedro would be here soon so he might as well try to calm down by playing something. His ukulele was the first thing that came to hand and he settled on the sofa cross-legged to mess around with chords and snatches of melody until he was brought out of his thoughts by the doorbell ringing.

‘Hi,’ Pedro said, grinning at him from the doorstep. He looked good, a smarter shirt than normal under his usual letterman jacket and his hair styled carefully.

‘Hi, shall we go?’ Balthazar replied, pulling on his own jacket.

‘Yeah sure.’

Balthazar locked the front door and they started ambling along the street.

‘So um, was that you I could hear singing?’ Pedro asked hesitantly.

‘Yeah, I was just mucking around with my ukulele, it’s good for song ideas and it calms me down.’

‘Nervous?’ Pedro asked with a teasing smile. ‘I mean I was, I had to change my shirt because I spilled juice over it just before I was about to leave and all my flatmate did was laugh at me.’

Balthazar tried not to do the same but couldn’t hold back a snort of laughter. It was nice that Pedro admitted he was nervous too, it made him feel a bit more relaxed.

‘I thought we might go to the ice-cream place if you don’t mind having ice-cream for supper?’ he said.

‘Sounds good.’

They got the ice-cream and continued their slow walk through the quiet streets. It was getting dimmer and the streetlights were flickering on. Pedro stopped by a bench under one.

‘Shall we sit?’

They hadn’t really made a plan for the date other than to go for a walk and stop if they saw something interesting. Balthazar had said that he needed to be home by ten because he had an early lecture the next morning but he was prepared to ignore that if he was enjoying himself, and he was.

‘Would you like to taste some of mine?’ he asked, indicating his chocolate ice-cream.

‘Yeah, do you want to try mine?’

Pedro had got the more adventurous peach and passionfruit ice-cream and Balthazar smiled as it slipped down his throat. ‘It’s nice, it almost tastes like we’re eating the fruit.’

‘Yours is nice too,’ Pedro said.

Under the glow of the streetlights it was hard to see but Balthazar thought he might have been blushing a little. He felt a glow on his cheeks too, exchanging spoonfuls of ice-cream suddenly seemed far more intimate than it actually was.

Pedro leapt to his feet. He needed to get moving before he did something stupid like kiss Balthazar for no reason, or more precisely because the face he’d made when tasting the ice-cream had been ridiculously tempting. And now all he could think was that Balthazar would taste a little bit of both ice-creams but also of himself- nope - ‘Let’s go, have you finished?’

Ambling along a narrower street, they saw a sign for a small bookshop that was open late. Exchanging glances, they headed over to it, Pedro ducking slightly under the low doorframe. The bookshop was crammed with secondhand and new books, a warren of shelves that gave off that indescribable old book scent. Balthazar immediately headed to the music section while Pedro got diverted by some older comics scattered on a table. He immersed himself in the adventures of an unknown superhero and his plucky sidekick for a while until there was a little cough from somewhere beside him and he saw Balthazar looking amused.

‘Found something interesting?’

‘Yeah, old comics. A friend of mine back home had a collection and we used to spend rainy afternoons reading them and, er, sometimes acting them out.’

Balthazar laughed, ‘the important thing is, did you have cloaks?’

He was encouraged that Balthazar was only laughing a bit and so he let a little more of the story slip out. ‘Cloaks made out of blankets and our underwear outside our trousers. Once we even raided his mum’s tights and she wasn’t best pleased.’

Balthazar laughed harder and Pedro could feel himself blushing. He was supposed to be cool and attractive and not tell him all his embarrassing childhood stories.

‘It’s cool, I used to play dressing up with my little sister all the time. We spent quite a lot of time being cats I think. I’m just going to get these,’ he indicated the two books in his arms, ‘and then we could go? Unless you want to look round a little more?’

‘Sure. What books did you find then?’

Balthazar enthused about the music section of the shop as he paid, to the obvious pleasure of the shop assistant, and he kept going until they were halfway down the street when he broke off to apologize for boring him.

‘Nah, don’t worry, it’s nice. Are there any other good things round here to do?’

‘The only other place is the park. It’s nice at this time because the kids have gone home and the drunks don’t come out til later.’

They turned towards the park and chatted all the way about not very much. Pedro asked about Balthazar’s family and told him about his in return and then they talked about their studies for a bit. By the time they’d made it to the pond in the middle of the park, the conversation had petered out and they were content to find a bench and sit in silence. It had got darker as they’d walked and the rising moon was reflected in the water. Ripples from the fountain expanded out in endless perfect circles. The fountain and the trees rustling were the only noises until, with a clunk, the fountain turned off, the spray getting smaller and smaller and finally stopping. Pedro and Balthazar watched, entranced, as the ripples on the water slowed and the surface of the pond became completely still.

Eventually Pedro broke the silence. ‘That was magical.’

‘It was. It took all the time in the world and none at all.’

‘You should use that in a song.’

‘Maybe I will.’ Balthazar stretched and Pedro became aware that it wasn’t very warm any more.

‘We should probably head back.’

They stood and began to walk back, closer than they had before, arms brushing until Balthazar slipped his hand into Pedro’s. It was comfortable and in the emptying streets, it felt like they were the only ones in the world.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah I had fun writing that :) originally I was planning on this being the last chapter but I think I'm going to write one more because I have post date feels. Thanks for your kudos/reviews, you're all lovely


	5. Chapter 5

Pedro was running late for his lecture again and he had been planning to get coffee before it as usual. His coffee-demanding brain told him it didn’t exactly matter if he was a few minutes late anyway so he abruptly turned and went into the coffee shop. He got his drink without difficulty this time and it was only as he was about to leave that he saw Balthazar curled up in an armchair in the corner. Lecture forgotten, he wandered across to say hi and see if he wanted company.

‘Hey,’ he said, once he got close enough, ‘mind if I join you?’

Balthazar looked up and smiled. ‘Haven’t you got a lecture to go to?’

‘Yeah,’ Pedro replied, sinking into another armchair, ‘but you see last time I went to the lecture instead of staying here with a cute boy and I regretted it.’

Balthazar turned slightly pink, ‘you think I’m cute?’

It was Pedro’s turn to blush now, ‘Um, did I say that? I meant to say attractive, handsome, err gorgeous… can’t think of any other words right now because I’m stunned by your general appearance…’

Balthazar laughed at Pedro and settled back into his chair.

‘So, um, I really enjoyed our date,’ Pedro began, ‘and I was wondering if you’d like to do it again some time?’

‘We could do that,’ Balthazar mused, trying to sound casual but ruining with the next thing he said, ‘I’m free tomorrow evening or the day after?’

‘Okay, it’s a date,’ Pedro smiled.

They drank their coffee and Balthazar showed Pedro the song lyrics he’d been working on and Pedro thought it was a much nicer use of an hour than going to his lecture. But after nearly an hour, Balthazar rose and began to tidy his things up. ‘I have to go to a rehearsal now in the music building, otherwise I would stay.’

Pedro drained his now cold coffee and got up too. ‘I’ll walk you there if you don’t mind,’ he said casually.

They made it to the music department fairly quickly but Balthazar was conscious that neither of them wanted to separate. ‘I’m sorry, I would invite you to come and listen but it’s a private rehearsal for a few members of the group,’ he said, trying to look as sorry as he felt.

‘That’s okay,’ Pedro shrugged. ‘Well, it was nice seeing you anyway and I’ll text you about tomorrow.’

‘Yeah.’ Pedro looked like he was about to leave and Balthazar panicked slightly. When they’d said goodbye at the end of the date they’d hugged but nothing else and that had felt comfortable from the intimacy of the whole evening but now there was an awkwardness that he wanted to banish.

‘Wait!’ he called after Pedro, who hadn’t exactly got far anyway. Pedro turned expectantly and then let out an exclamation as Balthazar collided with him. ‘Sorry,’ he said breathlessly, ‘I just wanted to, er,’ he pressed a kiss to Pedro’s cheek, ‘say goodbye proper-'

His words were cut off as Pedro leaned in to kiss him, just a sweet brush of his lips, but it was enough to send Balthazar’s pulse racing. ‘Well then,’ grinned Pedro, ‘goodbye properly. See you tomorrow.’ He gave in to temptation and leaned in to kiss Balthazar again before he left him looking slightly stunned.

Arriving late for the rehearsal, Balthazar had been subjected to quite a lot of teasing. Apparently he and Pedro had been right outside the window of the practice room and most of the other musicians had been spying on them.

‘It was cute though,’ one of the flautists sighed, ‘and you look happy Balthy.’

‘I’ll be happier when we get this done,’ he muttered slightly grumpily.

‘Ah yes,’ a violinist added, ‘then you can go back and kiss him some more.’

‘And perhaps not so chastely or innocently this time,’ a brass player added with a wink.

Balthazar grinned to himself and thought, ‘perhaps not…’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this is definitely the end! I wrote this part really quickly so if you notice anything that doesn't make sense, do let me know. Thanks for reading :)  
> (also hugs to anyone who's reviewed because you're lovely)


End file.
